In St. Tammany Parish, voters will decide the fate of a tax renewal geared toward mental health services. Parish leaders called the measure critical.

"It is vitally important to every citizen this millage that we are asking for renewal," St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister said.

The renewal would continue to generate about $3 million per year.

"This millage will not go toward Southeast Hospital at all, but it certainly help us fill the gap that may be left if Southeast is not kept in our area in some form," Brister said.

Part of the millage renewal goes to suicide prevention programs in in the parish, including the crisis response team.

"If that provision is not there, certainly mental health care will become a law enforcement issue and my deputies will have to deal with it," St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain said. "I think roughly a million a year on the Volunteers of America program. They have come out on nearly 500 cases with us in the last year, the first year of their existence. So there's no doubt that it is needed."

Officials said there have already been 32 suicides this year in the parish and more than 4,000 people have been committed to medical facilities for evaluation.

Liz Teague runs the St. Tammany Community Health Center in Slidell. It provides behavioral healthcare to adults and kids.

"We do have behavioral health here, too. We have a psychiatrist and two counselors," Teague said. "We will see Medicaid patients. We will see patients according to their income. They come in, they get qualified according to income."

The millage has been on the books for 30 years. A person with a $200,000 house pays $23 a year with the measure.

"If we don't have these services, our emergency rooms are going to be filled, because there are no other places for people to go for help," Brister said.

Those who did not vote early will consider this issue on the ballot this coming Tuesday.